The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1887-03-16
Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight.

Slowly highlands sun was setting O. 'er the hill
tops far away.
Filling oil the land with beauty a. the close of
one sad day,
And the last rays kissed the forehead Of man
and maiden fair
He with footsteps slow and weary, she with
sunny. floating hair;
He with bowed head. sad and thoughtful, she
with lips all cold and white,
Struggling to keep back the murmur-
''Curiew must not ring to- night
Sexton, /" Bessie's white lips faltered, point
ing to the prison old,
With its turrets dark and gloomy, with its
walls dark, damp and cold,
"rve lover in that prison, doomed this very
night to die
At the ringing Of the Curfew, and no earthly
help is nigh;
Cromwell will not come till sunset and her
lips grew strangely white
As she breathed the husky whisper
"Curfew must not ring Tonight
Bessie" calmly spoke the sexton-every
word pierced her young heart
Like the piercing Of an arrow, like deadly
poisoned dart
Long, long years We rung the Curfew from
that gloomy, Swallowed tower;
Every evening, just at sunset, it has told the
twilight hour;
have done my duty ever. tried to do it just
| and right,
Now I'm old still must do It,
| Curfew 1t must ring tonight
| vvt,a hor ana, on5 ,,,o ho- faotrras a+o~, s,d
| white her thoughtful brow,
solemn vow,
tear or sigh;
wood must de-"
eyes grew large and bright
In IN undsrtone she nurmured,
! ''Curfew must not ring Tonight"
She with quick steps bounded forward, sprung
within The old church door
IAft the cid man threading slowly paths q
Oft he'd trod before;
Net one moment pause the maiden, but. viii
eye and cheek aglow.
Mounted up the gloomy tower, whsre the bel
swung TO sad fro.
A. she clinsd the gloomy ladder. on whiol
fell No ray ofMsht.
Up and up-her white lips saying:
"Curfew shall not ring to- night
She has reached the topmost ladder, DER he
hangs the great, dark bell;
Awful 10 the gloom beneath her, like the path
way down to hell.
Lei the pondefous tongue is swinging, it's tn
hour Of Cuffew now.
And the sight has chilled her bosom, stoppe
her breath and paled her brow.
i Shall she let 1t ring? No. never! Flash he
eyes with sudden light
= And she springs and grasps 1t frmly-
..Curfew shall not ring tonight"
!, Out she swung. far out, the city seemed spec
n oflight below,
q "Twixt heaven and earth her form suspended
q as the bell swung to and fro,
a, And the sexton at the bell-rope, old and dea
heard not the bell,
But he thought 1t still was ringing fair your
- Basil's funeral knell.
Still the maiden chung more firmly, and wi
trembling hand and white.
Said to still her hearts wild BEATING
"Curfew shall not ring tonight"
| It WAS O'er, the bell ceased swaylng, ana !
" maiden stepped once more
as Firmly on the dark old ladder, where for hu
r. dred years before
Human foot had not been planted. The bra
er deed that she dole
Should be told long ages after, as the rays
u setting sun
Should illume the sky with beauty; aged si
with heads of white,
Long should tell the little children
Curfew did not ring that night.
-. O'er the distant hills came Cromwell; Bes
=. sees him and her brow,
Fall OF hope and full of gladness, has no 81
ious traces now;
AT his feet she tells her story, shows her hal
all bruised and torn;
And her face SO sweet and pleading, yet "
sorrow pale and worn,
IN. Touched his heart with sudden pity, lit
eyes with misty light,
n "Gol your lover lives.'' said Cromw
.'Curfew shall not ring Tonight"